Patriots-Dolphins Notebook: Controversial Replay Dooms New England

The New England Patriots once again fell short in their comeback attempt against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2; unable to overcome an early, self-inflicted deficit.

FOXBORO — For the second time in as many weeks, the New England Patriots found themselves at the losing end of a gallant, yet futile comeback attempt on their home field. 

The Pats dropped their Week 2 matchup with the Miami Dolphins 24-17; falling to 0-2 on the season — their first such start since the 2001 campaign, Bill Belichick's second season as 'HC of the NEP.'  

Despite the fears of falling victim to Miami's high-octane, big-play offense, the Pats self-inflicted wounds, combined with the Dolphins ability on both sides of the ball to adjust to New England's game plan ruined the return of the team's beloved red throwback jerseys and 'Pat Patriot' helmets.

As such, New England's coaches will have plenty lessons to be learned, and in turn, taught, in the coming days.   

Pats Dig Themselves an Early Hole ... Again

In their Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Patriots turned the ball over on their first two possessions, eventually leading to a 16-0 deficit. In spite of their late rally, the Pats fell short in their comeback effort. While they did not identically match Sunday's script, the team once again followed what is becoming a detrimental blueprint.  After ending their first offensive series in a punt, rookie Demario Douglas halted what was becoming a promising drive by fumbling his third-down catch while attempting to gain significant yardage after his reception. As would be the case for much of the night, Miami capitalized on New England's misfortunes, by scoring a touchdown on the ensuing drive. Though the Pats found the end zone twice in the second half to cut Miami's lead, their trailing 17-3 at the half proved to be a chasm too wide for New England to cross. In short, the team needs to quickly find a way to get off to a faster start. If they are unable to do so, it is shaping up to be a long season in Foxboro. 

Strange Ending

In the closing moments of Sunday night's game, the Patriots seemed poised to extend their final drive into the game's closing minute. On fourth-and-4 from the Dolphins 33-yard line, Mac Jones completed a pass to tight end Mike Gesicki which fell short of the first down marker. However, Gesicki showed impressive field savvy by flipping the ball to back to left guard Cole Strange, who lunged forward. At first, officials ruled that Strange had earned a fresh set of downs. However, upon replay, they determined that sufficient evidence existed to rule that Strange's knee landed on the turf prior to crossing the marker. While valid arguments can be made for either supporting or rebuking the official call, New England's inability to secure the first down prior to Gesicki's attempted lateral remains the bigger disappointment. As such, it is also their more pressing problem, moving forward. 

 

Dolphins Had Answers for Pats Three Safety Sets

With Jonathan Jones sidelined due to a knee injury, many wondered how the Pats would attempt to contain — or, at least, marginally disrupt — the Dolphins pair of prolific receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Initially, the Pats aligned second-year corner Marcus Jones across from Hill, while rookie Christian Gonzalez drew coverage against Waddle. Following Jones' first-half exit due to a shoulder injury, the Pats entrusted cornerback Myles Bryant with the duties. Hill caught five passes for 40 yards with one touchdown, while Waddle secured four passes for 86 yards.

Ultimately, New England seemed determined to neutralize the Dolphins' pre-snap movement and post-snap productivity by deploying three safeties in the deep part of the field. While the Pats big nickel looks limited Miami's ability to seek the big play, it also opened things up for shorter gains, while utilizing running back Raheem Mostert for significant yardage on the ground. In essence, the Pats dared the Dolphins to beat them in the short-game ... and coach Mike McDaniel had the answers when they were most-needed. 

Offensive Line Flux leads to Flummoxed Performance

While both Strange and Michael Onwenu returned to their familiar spots along the offensive line on Sunday night, the Pats unit still looked like a group continuing to find its identity. In addition to Strange (left guard) and Onwenu (right guard,) New England started newcomer Vederian Lowe at left tackle (in place of the injured Trent Brown) with captain David Andrews at center and Calvin Anderson at right tackle. In contrast, the Dolphins defensive front often got the better of their counterparts, with blitzes from defenders such as David Long, Bradley Chubb and Andrew Van Ginkel. Despite playing without injured outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips, Miami's defense finished the night with four sacks and eight quarterback hits on Jones.

Schooler Solid on Special Teams

Though their loss casts a cloud over their overall effort, New England did have a handful of bright spots beneath the Gillette Stadium lights on Sunday night. Perhaps none greater than special teams ace Brenden Schooler, who delivered a textbook block of a 49-yard field goal attempt by Miami kicker Jason Sanders. As Miami was setting up for kick attempt, Schooler aligned out wide and rapidly closed on his target, at the snap. He blocked the attempt, while safety Kyle Dugger raced to recover at the Miami 39-yard line. It was the Patriots first blocked field goal attempt since fellow special teamer Cody Davis blocked a 58-yard attempt against the Los Angeles Chargers in Dec. 2020 that was returned 44 yards for a touchdown by former team captain, and recent retiree, Devin McCourty.